Mapping the Color Line: Racial/Ethnic and Gender Disparities in Life Expectancy Across the United States
Authors: Hedwig Lee, Kathleen Mullan Harris
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2022)

EditorialsAugust 2022Mapping the Color Line: Racial/Ethnic and Gender Disparities in Life Expectancy Across the United StatesHedwig Lee, PhD, MA and Kathleen Mullan Harris, PhD, MSHedwig Lee, PhD, MADepartment of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MissouriSearch for more papers by this author and Kathleen Mullan Harris, PhD, MSDepartment of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North CarolinaSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M22-1777 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In 1903, sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, “… for the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line” (1). In their article, Johnson and colleagues (2) estimate life expectancy at birth in the United States by race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic), sex, and state from 1990 to 2019. The findings add to our growing knowledge of large and persistent racial/ethnic health disparities and changes in disparities during recent stagnation in U.S. life expectancy (3). The focus on state-level differences provides an important window into our understanding of how health and well-being can vary drastically ...References1. Du Bois WEB. The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches. Johnson Reprint Corporation; 1968. Google Scholar2. Johnson CO, Boon-Dooley AS, DeCleene NK, et al. Life expectancy for White, Black, and Hispanic race/ethnicity in U.S. states: trends and disparities, 1990 to 2019. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175:1057-64. doi:10.7326/M21-3956 LinkGoogle Scholar3. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. High and Rising Mortality Rates Among Working-Age Adults. National Academies Pr; 2021. doi:10.17226/25976 CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. Arias E. United States life tables, 2003. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2006;54:1-40. [PMID: 16681183] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Murray CJ, Kulkarni SC, Michaud C, et al. Eight Americas: investigating mortality disparities across races, counties, and race-counties in the United States. PLoS Med. 2006;3:e260. [PMID: 16968116] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Ely DM, Driscoll AK. Infant mortality in the United States, 2018: data from the period linked birth/infant death file. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2020;69:1-18. [PMID: 32730740] MedlineGoogle Scholar7. QuickStats: age-adjusted death rates, by state — United States, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68:255. [PMID: 30870406] doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6810a7 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Bailey ZD, Feldman JM, Bassett MT. How structural racism works — racist policies as a root cause of U.S. racial health inequities. N Engl J Med. 2021;384:768-773. [PMID: 33326717] doi:10.1056/NEJMms2025396 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. The White House. A Vision for Equitable Data: Recommendations From the Equitable Data Working Group. 2022. Accessed at www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/eo13985-vision-for-equitable-data.pdf on 5 June 2022. Google Scholar10. Serchen J, Doherty R, Atiq O, et al; Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians. Racism and health in the United States: a policy statement from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2020;173:556-557. [PMID: 32559145] doi:10.7326/M20-4195 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MissouriDepartment of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North CarolinaDisclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M22-1777.Corresponding Author: Hedwig Lee, PhD, MA, Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130; e-mail, hedwig.[email protected]edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 28 June 2022. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoLife Expectancy for White, Black, and Hispanic Race/Ethnicity in U.S. States: Trends and Disparities, 1990 to 2019 Catherine O. Johnson , Alexandra S. Boon-Dooley , Nicole K. DeCleene , Kiana F. Henny , Brigette F. Blacker , Jason A. Anderson , Ashkan Afshin , Aleksandr Aravkin , Matthew W. Cunningham , Joseph L. Dieleman , Rachel G. Feldman , Emmanuela Gakidou , Ali H. Mokdad , Mohsen Naghavi , Cory N. Spencer , Joanna L. Whisnant , Hunter Wade York , Rahul R. Zende , Peng Zheng , Christopher J.L. Murray , and Gregory A. Roth Metrics August 2022Volume 175, Issue 8Page: 1185-1186KeywordsHealth disparitiesLife expectancyMortalitySocial health determinants ePublished: 28 June 2022 Issue Published: August 2022 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2022 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...